


Do You Remember When...

by Onlymostydead



Category: DCU, DCU (Comics), Teen Titans (Comics)
Genre: Confessions of love, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Pining, Referenced Past Drug Use, Valentine's Day, playful banter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-10-28 09:51:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17785169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Onlymostydead/pseuds/Onlymostydead
Summary: It started out as a joke: Roy and Dick were so affectionate with each other they were basically dating, right? Who knows how far it'll go, though, with Valentine's Day right around the corner...And neither of them want the relationship to be fake anymore.





	1. Roy

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Mayarene Rose (Paradise_of_Mary_Jane)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Paradise_of_Mary_Jane/gifts).



> This is my gift for @discowlng on Tumblr, or Mayarene Rose here! Hope you like it <3

Roy wasn't really sure when the joke began. Maybe it was one too many a time when Dick sat in his lap. Maybe it was jokingly calling him babe. Maybe it was the way they knew each other like no one else did. It didn't really matter which it was, though, because the joke was there.

Everyone on the team thought he and Dick were dating.

Not really, Roy guessed, watching from the sidelines as everyone else sparred in the training rooms. Garth had definitely guessed that it was a joke, which is why he was so irritating about it. He was the reason that Roy was being forced into doing something huge for Valentine's Day. 

Which, of course, was in a week.

More frustrating than doing something big, was the fact he was fairly sure Dick would appreciate something... Smaller. More heartfelt. A package of his favorite candy and tickets to that dumb movie he had been talking about watching just so that they could make fun of it. That was just the kind of person Dick was, really. He may be a showman, but that's not what really mattered.  
And plus, he was fairly sure Garth would be saying the same things to Dick, which was just going to be a shitshow. Yikes.

After Garth was Wally, though, and Roy knew he was convinced. As surprisingly intuitive as he could be, it was never really Wally's strong suit to be super in tune with other people's feelings, especially romantic ones. For the most part he didn't care if they were dating or not, just offered to let them share the bed if there weren't enough places for everyone to sleep, or things like that... Which had resulted in some weird situations in the past.

But Donna... She knew that it was fake, but in the scariest way possible. She not only knew that the relationship was just a joke, she knew Roy's real feelings towards Dick.

Roy frowned, then remembered all of his friends across the room and tried to keep a neutral expression. The last thing he needed was Wally thinking he was going through a rough patch again... And he really didn't want to worry Dick.  
He wasn't really sad, just... Tired. He was tired of pretending to be all affectionate with Dick when that meant he couldn't love him for real. Yeah, they were all pet names and cheek kisses all the time, but-

"Hey babe!" Dick jogged over, as if on cue. "Why are you over there? You good?"

"Yeah. I just twisted my ankle on patrol last night, and Ollie doesn't want me walking too much on it."

He winced. "Man, that sucks. Shouldn't you have-"

"I'm not hobbling around on crutches." Roy interrupted, pulling himself to his feet. "That's just adding insult to injury."

"Not to sound like Batman, but..."

"You always sound like Batman when you say that, though." He pointed out. "You're gonna give some advice on how I need to be more responsible with my health so that I'll heal quicker."

Dick grinned. "You sound an awful lot like Batman, don't you?"

"Hey, I was just predicting what you were gonna say!"

"Sure..." He winked. "Anyway, we'll be done in about fifteen. Ice cream afterward?"

Roy nodded, trying desperately to stay casual. "Yeah, sounds good. Are we getting Wally to shuttle us all over to the nice little place a couple cities over?"

"Nah, I was thinking it would just be the two of us."

Heart pounding in his chest, Roy had to try so hard to keep his excitement contained. That was all he wanted, he just wanted to hang out with Dick one-on-one. It wasn't that he didn't like being around his other friends; it wasn't that at all. He just wanted to be with Dick.

"You know, so everyone thinks it's a date." Dick winked, and he tried to disguise his disappointment. "Valentine's day is coming up..."

He swallowed, willing his dry throat to speak. "Yeah, and...?"

"Can't spoil it. That'd ruin the surprise."

"Of course it would." Roy sighed, shifting all of his weight off his injured left leg. "But if you want to know what I'm doing..."

Dick leaned a little closer, and Roy struggled to think clearly. Running on pure adrenaline, he leaned close to his ear, brushing back a few thick curls. 

"Well you'll just have to wait, won't you?" Roy whispered with a smirk, poking him in the chest.

He pulled away, crossing his arms. "Okay. Alright. I see how it is."

"Of course you do." 

"Well, babe, I'll be done in a few. Get cleaned up and in civvies?"

"I don't know," Roy scratched his head, and immediately became conscious of how long his hair was getting. "Would it be more scandalous if Robin and Speedy are out on a date, or Dick Grayson and Roy Harper?"

"I can see the headlines now." Dick waved his hand in a wide, sweeping motion. "Billionaire Boys budding Romance."

He snorted. "Or what about... Charming Charity-case Canoodling?"

That got Dick to actually laugh now, tipping his head back. "Oh man, I don't know if I can top that one... Every Wayne's got a Queen."

"I'm not even a Queen."

"And I'm not a Wayne." He pointed out. "And neither of us are charity cases."

Roy snorted. "Speak for yourself."

"You're not." He argued, then glanced back at the rest of the team, sparring without him. "So... In costume, fifteen minutes?"

"Hell no. Give yourself enough time to shower."

"I will, babe, I will." Dick grinned, then went back to join the others.

And while the whole interaction would definitely get Roy down later, weighing on him with all the lies and the confines of their relationship and the jokes he used to try to play off his interest... He wasn't thinking about any of those things right now.   
Sure, he would never really be able to have his best friend, in a dating sense, but that didn't mean he couldn't admire the sight of the scaly green shorts as he walked away.

***

"So... Ice cream wasn't such a good idea, huh?" Dick asked, spinning his spoon in his bowl of strawberry.

Roy's heart fell. "What do you mean?"

"Don't look out the window, seven o'clock now, but... We may have an audience."

He sighed, knowing exactly what he'd see if he looked. There were some nice, decorative bushes outside the wide ice cream parlor windows, perfect for someone to hide in... Especially a certain trio of Teen Titans. It got a tiny bit annoying, sometimes, but he knew full well that he would do the same if other members of the team were dating.

Roy snickered at that idea, taking another bite of his ice cream.

"What is it?"

"Can you imagine if anyone else on the team were dating?"

Dick choked. "Who would it even be?"

"Well... We're taken." Roy pointed out. "And Donna's a lesbian..."

"Wally and Garth?" He grinned, stifling a laugh. "They'd never get anything done."

"They really wouldn't."

"Though..." Dick tapped his spoon against his lips. "Never mind, that's a terrible idea."

"Of course, that's only if you take us being together as a given." Roy pointed out. "There are a lot of other combinations of you don't."

He wrinkled his nose. "No offense to anyone on the team, but I think I'd rather date you than any of the others."

If only you knew, Roy thought to himself, but kept quiet about that. "Really? Not you and Wally?"

"Hell no, he's like the little brother I never had." Dick explained, taking another bite. "And I don't think Garth and I could work out, really. You and Garth, though..."

Roy raised his eyebrows. "You think Garth and I would work well together?"

"I mean, you do work well together as teammates," He pointed out. "He's a calming influence, and you're..."

"A little too intense?"

"Passionate." He finished. "So is Garth, but not so constantly outspoken about it. You always have an opinion on everything."

Roy shrugged. "If I didn't, it'd be a whole lot harder to bicker with you."

Dick sighed. "I'm just saying, pineapple is good on pizza."

"You're a godless monster."

He grinned. "Probably. But you love it."

If only you knew.

"Pfft, don't push it." Roy scoffed. "One of these days I'm gonna learn that you believe something awful, and it'll tear us apart."

"Like what?"

"I don't know, like..." In truth, he could think of very few things that could keep him apart from Dick. "Sleeping in socks."

"I only do it when I'm sick." He explained. "Like, when you're running a high fever? Or if you have to sleep fully clothed..."

"Alright, I'll give you a pass on those." Roy decided. "Looks like we're not gonna have to get a divorce after all."

Dick snorted, then started coughing. "I think I just got ice cream up my nose." 

"Oh shit, do you need to-"

"I mean, it'll be liquid soon." He sniffled. "Until then, it'll just feel like a brain freeze in the front of my face."

"You know, for being Batman's protigé, you're kind of a dumbass."

Dick grinned, tipping his head to the side just that little bit that drove Roy crazy. "I could say the same thing about you, babe."

He blushed. "No you couldn't."

"Yeah, I could. Why couldn't I?" 

"Because no one expects anything from Green Arrow." Roy pointed out. "He's close to being the biggest joke in the Justice League."

"Nah, that's the Green Lanterns."

"That's why I said close."

"Well then," Dick took a bite of ice cream, then licked his lips. "For being Green Arrow's protigé, you're a pretty decent guy."

His heart skipped a beat. "You think so?"

"I mean, Green Arrow's not so bad as a person, even if he's not the best mentor." He reasoned. "And I'd say you're a decent guy even with him out of the picture."

"Aw, thanks babe."

The edges of his ears turned a little bit pink, which made Roy smile. Getting Dick flustered was always the best.

"But seriously," Roy rolled her shoulders, shifting how he was sitting. "Are we just gonna sit here and talk about our friends and mentors?"

Dick put his elbows on the table, then rested his head in his hands. "Then tell me more about you, babe."

"What about me, though?" Roy winked. "I think we've already covered that I'm an amazing archer, martial artist, vigilante-"

"But what's your least favorite food?"

"Least favorite?" He hummed, trying to think of something. "I mean, I'll eat anything. What about you?"

"I'm not a fan of raw shellfish." Dick answered simply. "But you're gotta have one, I know it."

"Well..." Roy frowned, trying his best to- "Wait. I've got it, and I think you could guess what it is."

"If I could, I'd have already said it."

"Come on, worlds greatest detective?" He started to snicker, just a little bit.

Dick looked clueless, staring at his ice cream and stabbing it absently with his spoon. Then, realization dawned on his face. He sighed, rolling his eyes and shaking his head. 

"It's pineapple on pizza, isn't it?"

"Bingo. You got it, Robbie."

Dick sighed again, even more annoyed than the first time. "You're entitled to your own wrong opinion."

"Oh, my own wrong opinion, huh?" Roy was still chuckling. "But yeah, raw shellfish are a little freaky."

"It tastes too much like getting accidentally dunked in the Gotham Pier."

It was his turn to snort now, thankfully avoiding getting any ice cream up his nose. "The pier? Really? I didn't think it was that bad."

Dick shrugged. "When something like that happens as a kid, it doesn't really matter if it tastes like that a whole lot or not."

"Remember the time I dunked you in the pier?"

"Don't remind me, I was just starting to like you."

Why did he have to say things like that? Roy's feelings were too all over the place to make sense of.

"True, true..." Roy trailed off, trying to change the topic. "I wonder how many things have been ruined for us by our jobs."

"A lot." 

Roy reached across the table and gently smacked his arm. "Like dating?"

"Nah." He shrugged again. "I don't think this has ruined that at all."

"Not one bit?"

"Maybe a little," Dick admitted. "But only because I'd have to find someone I get along with better than my best friend."

Roy choked on his ice cream, a little bit getting stuck up his nose. Neither of them stopped laughing for a long time, and yeah, people stared, but he didn't care one bit. Right now, he was getting to listen to Dick laugh, and that's all he could ask for.


	2. Dick

Dick didn't know what he was going to do. This joke wasn't supposed to go this far. It wasn't supposed to happen this way, that the rest of the team though that he and Roy were dating... and other people definitely weren't supposed to notice it. But instead they had members of the Justice League making comments about their 'relationship' or laughing at how fake it was. The jury was still out on that one for a lot of people: was the relationship fake?

He knew the answer, but he almost didn't want to. Because above all, in the midst of this, he definitely wasn't supposed to fall in love with Roy. There were so many reasons for him not to, and yet...  
Shaking his head, he tried to think of some of the reasons not to fall in love with Roy Harper.  
1\. Bruce doesn't really want him dating for real, even though it's not forbidden. That one is kind of an understood rule, especially since...

2\. Dating within the team could easily get messy. If they broke up Dick wasn't sure he would be able to keep a professional relationship... Well, if it ended badly. 

But the Roy's self-stated biggest problem with dating is that people tend to get too clingy, and all the dates Dick had at Gotham Academy had ended because he was too distant. There were several people who thought he was cheating, just because he was never around.  
He wasn't, but that didn't make a difference to them. Besides, he never thought that those feelings would last anyway... He already liked someone else too much. It was all just for show.  
3\. Batman also doesn't really like Roy. 

It's a weird thing, but he's fairly sure that he just never has. Maybe it was the drugs, from a while back, but Dick knew that couldn't be true... Maybe he just thought that he was a bad influence. He honestly had no clue.

But that was only three reasons, and two of them were just Bruce, who he couldn't count. How were those excuses to not go for it? Then again... Dating within the team could get messy. Really messy. That alone was an extremely good reason. What if they threw off the whole dynamic?  
Dick flopped down onto his bed, rubbing his eyes. They had been pretending to date for so long now, though... Would it really change anything? And besides...

No. Because reason number four was pretty much the most compelling one in the book.

4\. He was pretty sure that Roy didn't feel the same way about him.

That basically ended all of the options right in their tracks. There was no relationship if Roy wasn't into it, and Dick had no reason to believe he was. All of the flirting was too over-the-top from him, it wasn't genuine. Roy was a pretty quiet guy when it came to actual love, he knew that. Simple gestures.

Dick groaned. That ice cream date, though... Least favorite food? Why has he asked that? Maybe part of him was going for some story, for something to let him feel closer to Roy.  
Hell, they had been friends since they were kids, but it felt like Dick was always learning new things about him. Roy was someone so special... He would listen to him talk forever.

Which scared him, just a little bit. Maybe that was reason number 5.

5\. He's too afraid of true, solid commitment.

No, that's not true, Dick supposed... But it was scary to put yourself on the line like that, to really give yourself to another person. He wanted that, more than anything, to just be with Roy, but his own insecurity was holding him back, telling him that he'd get hurt.

Someone knocked on his door.

Dick pulled himself upright. "Come in!"

Donna stepped through the door, closing it behind her, then crossing her arms. "Well? How are you doing?"

"Donna, I know he doesn't like me."  
"You can't be sure about that." She pointed out, coming over to sit next to him on the bed. "You seemed pretty cute together at the ice cream parlor."

"Yeah, you guys were watching us."

"Garth's idea." She raised her hands in mock surrender. "I only tagged along because I thrive on drama."

"But you don't, really."

"Eh, everyone else was going. I would have just been alone at HQ if I didn't go."

Dick nodded. "Yeah, okay, that's fair... But I still don't feel like I'm getting anywhere."  
"What do you mean?"

"Every time I want to tell him how I feel, I shy away. I guess I'm just too..."

"Scared of rejection?" Donna finished. "Because that's what this sounds like."  
"Jeez, Donna, come for my life why don't you?"

She grinned. "It's what I do. But do you really think Roy would reject you?"

"No. Yes. Ugh, Donna, I don't know." He shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. "It's so hot and cold with him. It's like... I say something romantic, and he cools off. Or he makes a joke."

"You do the same thing." She pointed out. "All the time. Constantly."

"Yeah, but that's because I'm trying to hide how I feel."

Donna raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"It's just... I don't know. I really just don't know." Dick sighed, shaking his head. "It just feels like it's no use."  
"Well then, why don't you plan when to tell him?" She asked with a little shrug. "If you have it all mapped out, like you normally do with things, maybe it'll be easier."

"That's harder with human variables. I'd have to take a lot of things into account, you know. And besides, the rest of you don't make that any easier on me."

"Yes, but..." She smirked. "Valentine's Day is in a week."

"You think I should confess my love for my best friend on Valentine's Day?" Dick blinked. "Actually, that doesn't sound ridiculous when I say it out loud. Cliche, though."

"I'm not your best friend?"

"You know that you are, Donna." Dick rolled his eyes. "You aren't even jealous."

"I know, but it's fun to watch you squirm." She grinned. "Why wouldn't you do it?"

"Well, it could throw of the entire team dynamic, even if we get together."

"You two are already disgustingly in love. It won't change a thing."

"Donna! No we're-"

"Yes you are." She scoffed. "You made Roy's code name 'Babe' on the last mission, and the rest of us were stuck calling him that too."

Dick blushed bright red. "Not my brightest moment."

"You think?"

"Okay, okay. But what if he doesn't feel the same and things are weird?"

"They'll level out." Donna sighed, resting her hand on Dick's knee. "It'll be fine, just trust me, okay?"

"Okay, okay." He shook his head. "But how should I do it?"

"You know what Roy likes better than all of us, I think." She reminded. 

"Yeah, romantic dinners, long walks on the beach, practical jokes, and making fun of Ollie." Dick grinned, the joke giving him a little confidence. "He actually does like the beach, though."

Donna nodded. "True. And I'm sure I'd be a lot more relaxing and romantic if you didn't have to be with the most sunburn-prone person on the planet." 

"I'm sure Wally's not the most prone to sunburns, but you really are right."

"He's gotta be close." She agreed. "Feeling a little more hopeful?"

"Yeah." Dick took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Thank you, Donna."

"You're welcome, Dickie." Standing up from her place in the bed, she ruffled his hair a little bit. "Don't overthink it."

"I won't."

"You mean you will?"

He sighed. "You know I will."

"Yeah, I do." She grinned. "But seriously."

"I know."

"Alright. Are you going to stay in your room a little longer?"

Dick stared at the door for a moment, then nodded. "I think so."

"Alright. Later, Dicke."

He waved as she shut the door, and immediately he flopped back onto the bed. Now, to try to form a plan.

***

Dick tried to look casual as he wandered out into the HQ living room, as if he hadn't just spent the last half hour or so frantically overthinking how he was going to admit his crush to Roy. So far, he thought he was doing great... If maybe a little practiced. No one seemed to notice, though, everyone lounging on the couches, having some kind of debate.  
Yawning, Dick went over and sprawled himself over Roy's lap, leaning his head against his shoulder.

"So, what are we discussing? Get me up to speed."

Roy cleared his throat. "Whether or not you shake your milk."

Dick blinked. "What?"  
"Exactly!" Garth said. "That's not even a question. Of course you shake your milk."

"Gross! No way!" Donna argued. "Why would you shake your milk? It gets all foamy at the top that way!"

"Isn't milk already foamy at the top?" Wally asked, raising an eyebrow.

They all looked at him.

"Uhh, no." She shook her head. "Milk is not normally foamy."

"Ahhh... So I probably unintentionally shake my milk! What camp does that land me in?"

"Well, your milk gets shaken." Donna pointed out.

"But," Garth sat up a little straighter. "You don't really shake your milk. You don't mean to."

"So...?"

"Neither." Roy cleared up. "There are milk shakers, non-milk shakers, and unintentional milk shakers."

Dick shook his head. "Don't you have to shake your milk?"

"Uh, no." 

"No, but doesn't it get a little bit separated if you don't?"

"Well..." Donna frowned. "I suppose if you're using a fake milk, like soy milk or almond milk, that would be the case."

"Yeah!" Garth agreed. "Wait. You don't drink almond milk, do you?"

"Nope."

"That... Makes more sense." He nodded. "Cause if you don't shake the milk it's weird when you reach the bottom of the carton."

Roy shook his head. "I dont shake milk, even if it's fake."

Dick wrinkled his nose. "Gross. I shake all of my milk."

"What?"

"Why?"

He shrugged. "Because."

"Because why?" Wally squeaked, voice breaking a little bit. "That's so weird... I never thought there was data here to be found, but there totally is."

"First of all," Dick say up a little bit more, but stayed in Roy's lap. "Shaking the milk does make you feel more like it's all mixed, especially if you buy milk in bulk and freeze some of it."

"Why would you do that? It's only you, Bats, and Alfred in the house, right?"

"There's a lot of cooking with milk, though." He pointed out. "And sometimes there are guests, and... Well... I drink a lot of milk. But that's besides the point. Second, is that even if it's not a fake milk, that's an easy habit to get into if you drink fake milk. Third-"

"This is so fucking weird." Garth slumped back down, shaking his head. 

"It does kind of depend on what you grow up around. If your parents or legal guardians, or whatever you had shook the milk, you probably will too."

Wally clapped. "Great! Wonderful. Now we can stop arguing about it."

Donna wrinkled her nose. "That's so weird."

Garth shrugged. "Yeah it is. Also, you can't blame me for shaking any and all milk."

"Oh?" She raised an eyebrow. "And why not?"

"Because I'm like... Lactose intolerant."

"So you're saying that because you normally drink fake milk, you're exempt from the milk shaking problem?" 

"Yep."

"No way." Dick shook his head. "You either shake your milk or you don't, and you do."

"But what about me?" Wally asked. "I don't-"

"Shut up Wally." 

Wally laughed and flipped him off.

Roy laughed. "You're getting awfully heated up about this, aren't you, Dickie?"

Damn. Why the hell didn't drive him crazy when he said his name like that? Maybe it was just the fact that he was whispering in his ear, though. Dick could feel himself turning bright red.

"You're trying to distract me." He claimed. "From what really matters: whether you shake your milk or not."

"So is that going to be the end of our relationship? The fact that I don't shake my milk?"

Dick shrugged. "Probably."

Garth snorted.  
"Damn. What do I have to do to make things right between us?" Roy asked, but he sounded like he was trying very hard not to laugh.

"Hmm... Well, you'd have to shake your milk."  
"Oops. Looks like we're broken up for good."

Donna laughed. "You two are such an old married couple."

"No we're not!" Dick immediately piped up.

"Yeah, we really aren't." Roy agreed. "We're clearly a young couple who are still very much enamored with each other."

Wally whistled. "Ooh, 'enamored.' Five point word."

Donna paid him no attention. "And how do we know that?"

Roy froze up, but Dick was ready.

He snorted. "Isn't it obvious?" 

She shook her head.

"If we were an old married couple, we'd be long divorced by now."

Garth nearly choked, holding back a laugh. Wally booed.

"Well, yeah, I guess that's probably true." Roy shrugged, putting his arms around him. "As is, we are very much in love."

"You bet we are."

"I love you so damn much, Dickie."  
He was very glad that Roy couldn't see him blushing. "Aww, babe... I love you too."

"Was that the first time they've said 'I love you'?" Garth asked, turning toward Donna and Wally.

"Pretty sure it is." Wally confirmed.

"Yep."

"Wow, I can't believe we were here to witness how you two's relationship has progressed." Garth choked on fake tears. "It's just so- you're all grown up now."

"When did you become Dick's dad?" Roy asked. 

"Who says I'm Dick's dad?" Garth asked, his eyes getting that weird glint they always did when he was about to say something outrageous. "I'm your mom."

Roy sighed. "Of course you are."

"I'm just so-" He wiped his eyes. "So proud of you."

"Okay, this has officially gotten weird." Wally decided.

Donna snorted. "As if it wasn't weird before?"

"But seriously," Roy said, quietly, just for Dick. "How does breakfast tomorrow morning at that little pancake place sound?"

"Perfect." Dick grinned, leaning back to kiss him on the cheek. "It sounds perfect."


	3. Roy

"So... Pancakes, or waffles?" Dick asked, hacking off a bit from his syrupy stack. "Which do you think is better?"

Roy shrugged. "Probably waffles, if I'm honest."

"What? Then why are we at the pancake place?"

"Because you like pancakes better." He said, taking bite of his own stack of pancakes. "Besides, it's not like I don't like them."

Dick nodded. "That's fair, but still."

"And besides," Roy used his 'fake romantic' voice, batting her eyelashes. "You're more important to me."

He laughed at that, shaking his head. "Alright, Romeo."

"Fuck, I hated Romeo and Juliet."

"Really?" Dick leaned across the table, his mouth full. "Why?"

"It's all just so... Pointless, I guess." Roy stabbed his pancakes. "They meet, and it's love at first sight, and then it's just... They die so pointlessly. They could have survived, but of course not, this is the entertainment industry."

"Hm." He swallowed his food. "The most common complaint I hear is that they're kids, or they just met."

"Nah." Roy waved that off. "I may not believe in love at first sight exactly, but I do know that being young doesn't necessarily mean that you're wrong."

"Damn, you're right."

He smirked. "You know, if you don't want the media quoting Dick Grayson's foul language..."

Dick sighed, shaking his head. "They won't give a shit. Bruce says worse in public all the time. I only said damn."

"But you aren't Bruce... Does he let you curse now?"

"While you're right, I'm also a sixteen year old. Anyone who thinks a sixteen year old doesn't curse is wrong. And yeah, he stopped caring."

"Damn straight."

Dick raised an eyebrow. "I don't even have time to unpack that."

"Unpack what?" Roy raised an eyebrow right back at him.

"Well, first of all, who says 'damn straight' anymore?" 

He shrugged. "I guess I do"

"Weirdo." Dick yawned. "Also... You were just getting after me for cursing."

"Well..." Roy trailed off. "It's different."

"Oh? And how exactly is that?"

"People have standards they think of when they picture Bruce Wayne, and those standards get transferred onto you." He explained, mouth full of pancake. "But Ollie? He gets ridiculously drunk at parties. He's constantly involved in scandals. People don't give a shit what I do."

"I give a shit what you do."

"Aww, babe, that's so sweet." Roy dipped back into that fake romance. "You really know how to flatter a guy."

"Oh, shut up." Dick rolled his eyes. "And Bruce really isn't a whole lot better, you know."

He shrugged. "Debatable."

"Okay, they're both bad sometimes, but in different ways."

"Alright." Roy nodded, taking another bite of his pancakes. "I'll take that."

They were quiet for a second after that, Dick intently focused on his food and Roy intently focused on Dick. He looked ridiculously cute right now, in an oversized tee shirt that showed just the edge of his tan collarbones. His eyelashes were dark and curly, his hair still a mess from sleeping, swooping up over his ears and nearly falling into his eyes.

"These are some really fucking good pancakes." Dick said, his mouth full, then looked up and winked.

Roy rolled his eyes, but played along. "Fuck yeah they are."

"They're the best fucking pancakes I've ever had in my life."

"The fucking best." He agreed.

"Only the fucking best for you, babe." Dick winked, then tucked back into his pancakes.

Roy was glad he looked away, because he immediately blushed bright red. It was probably very bad. Every time Dick looked up at him through those thick eyelashes it was breathtaking. Every time he winked his heart pounded. He felt lightheaded.

How did he get into this mess? And with today being the ninth of February... He only had precious few days left to plan what he was going to do, how he was going to admit all of these feelings. 

"Earth to Roy Harper, come in, Roy Harper." Dick waved a had in front of his face. "Zoning out, huh?"

"Yeah, guess so." He stabbed his pancakes again. "Just thinking about how exposed we are here."

"Yeah..." He sighed, taking another bite. "Should we head somewhere after this, then?"

Roy knew he didn't mean for that to sound suggestive, but damn if that wasn't how it sounded. "Probably."

"Do you have anywhere in mind, babe?"

He shrugged, trying to wrack his brain for anywhere but the beach. He was saving that for later, after all. Though, it was February, so it's be a little cold... Not too bad, though. And there'd be seashells.

"You're really zoning out now, aren't you?" Dick laughed, taking the last bite of his pancakes. "Do you need a nap?"

Roy shrugged. "Don't I always?"

"Yeah, that's true. We do always need sleep." He nodded. "How about just heading back and taking a nap?"

Ah, the delicate game of talking about their friends without being conspicuous.

"What'll people say?" Roy said with a wink, pushing a bite of pancake around in the excess syrup on his plate, then carefully scooping it into his mouth.

"Who says anybody needs to see?"

Roy nearly spat out his pancakes. "Are you doing that on purpose?"

"Doing what, babe?" And Dick had the audacity to wink.

"You're such a fucking asshole." He swallowed, then shook his head.

"You know it, sweetheart."

***

The next couple of days passed in a blur of shared naps on the couch, 'fake' dates, and sparring, once Roy's ankle was deemed better. It was frustrating, how hot and cold the whole game was. Roy would get close, physically brushing the hair out of Dick's face or just talking to him about something important and he...

Roy swallowed. He'd close himself off.

It was maddening, going through the back and forth of it, the whole thing feeling like it was driving him crazy. Roy tried to think of reasons not to like Dick, reasons to stay away, but he couldn't. The truth of the matter was that there was no one else he could envision being in love with. Of course, 'in love' sounded so childish...

He groaned, flopping down on the couch. Was he really in love with Dick? No, that wasn't even a question because he knew the answer. He had felt like this for years, thought countless mistakes and bad haircuts, and unfavorable choices on both of their parts. Despite their differences, and maybe because of them, Roy was most certainly in love with Dick Grayson.

"What're you thinking about?" Donna asked, setting down her mug of tea before sitting down next to his head.

"Eh, nothing much." He lied, shrugging just a little bit. "I'm just tired."

She raised an accusing eyebrow. "I don't need the lasso of truth to know when you're lying to me, Roy Harper."

"...yeah, I don't know why I tried."

"Me neither." She smiled, and elbowed him. "Got Dick on the mind?"

Roy choked. "What's with everyone and the sexual innuendo these past few days?"

"That was intentional, for the record."

"Yeah, I guessed that." He said, pulling himself back together. "But... Yeah. I guess I've got Dick on the mind."

She smirked. "Still planning on confessing on Valentine's Day?"

"If I survive that long."

Donna elbowed him again. "Stop being so dramatic."

"I can't do that!" Roy whined, purposefully drawing it out. "That's just who I am, D."

She rolled her eyes again. "Whatever... But your confession isn't going to make itself."

"True..." He sighed. "I just wish this could be, you know... Smaller."

"Than make it smaller."

Roy frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You're already planning something big because of Garth, I know that." Donna started, glancing over at the door as if he was about to materialize at the sound of his name. "But after that, you could always make the confession itself somewhere else. Smaller."

"Smaller." He repeated. "Like the beach."

"Exactly like the beach."

"You know what?" Roy grinned. "That's not a bad plan. Only now is how to tell him, which is the hard part."

"You could practice on me, if you want." Donna offered. "Though I can't promise to be swayed by your romance."

"You just want to laugh at me."

She smiled. "You bet."

"You're such a fiend, Donna."

"I can't help it!" She whined, mocking him from before. "It's who I am, R."

Roy rolled his eyes. "You're the best, you know that?"

"Of course I do." 

Donna said the words, but Roy knew that she didn't really mean them. That was just how it was with Donna. 

"Seriously. Even if you don't have a wonderful girlfriend to appreciate you this Valentine's Day-"

"Okay, Roy." She shoved him a little. "I get it."

"You're great, and you deserve so much love."

"Save the sappy stuff for Dick." But she was smiling a little bit, and that's what really mattered.

"I love you, Donna."

"Love you too, Asshole."

***

"Hey, Roy! You have all the arrangements planned?" Garth asked, waggling his eyebrows. 

"You betcha."

"Ooh, Aquaman says that." He cringed. "It's just weird when you do it."

"People do keep saying I talk weird." Roy shrugged. "I mean, do I talk weird?"

"Probably? But like... I'm also not of this world, so I have no clue, my guy." Garth shrugged right back at him. "Of course, Dick seems pretty into it."

Not really. "Hell yeah he is."

"Man, this Valentine's Day is going to be awesome for you two."

"What about you, Garth?"

He turned scarlet. "Well, I..."

Roy grinned: jackpot. "Got any plans?"

"There's a couple of old friends I have..." Garth swallowed. "I'm finally gonna ask them out... The day after Valentine's Day."

"...why the day after?"

"Uh, because Atlantis doesn't celebrate Valentine's Day. Duh."

Roy rolled his eyes. "Of course. Duh."

Garth elbowed him. "So I figured I'd just try to hold onto the romantic energies from the day before, and try to make my move."

"Well, I hope that works out for you."

"Me too." He smiled. "I just hope we're as solid as you and Dick."

This was so infuriating. Roy knew it was his own fault, and Garth was only pushing him to see how far he'd go with the joke, so he couldn't even be mad about it.

"Yeah..." Roy grinned, letting his eyes wander away. "I'm really lucky, aren't I?"

"Fuck yeah you are, dude."

"'Dude'?" He snickered. "Are you a surfer now?" 

"Well, if I wasn't before, I am now." Garth declared. "Bro."

"Alright, alright, forget I said anything."

"I don't know, dude." He shrugged, running a hand through his hair. "It might've stuck."

"I've created a monster." Roy whispered, shaking his head. "Alright, Garth. I hope you have fun."

"I will. Thank you." He nodded. "I've gotta run... Good luck with the whole Dick thing."

"...thanks."

"What dick thing?" Wally ran in at just the wrong time.

Roy face palmed. This was going to be a long, anxious couple days.

"There's no dick thing, as in penis." He explained, hearing how tired he sounded. "There is, however, a Dick thing as in what I'm going to do for Valentine's Day."

"Ohhh that makes a lot more sense." Wally nodded. "I didn't think that you were having, uh, groin problems. For the record."

"That's great."

"But..." He grinned, leaning in close to Roy. "What are you doing for Valentine's?"

"I can't tell you." Roy said, shrugging. "I'm pretty sure you'd talk about it."

Wally gasped. "I'm hurt! I would not."

"Yes, you would."

"Wouldn't."

"Remember that one time, with the chocolate cake?" Roy reminded. "You didn't mean to tell him, but you were talking loud enough that he heard."

"...yeah." Wally sighed. "He's just so observant."

"He really is."

"It must be hard to date him, then. You could never surprise him." He frowned, tapping his foot on the floor. "I mean, it would be easier to surprise him if you had powers, but..."

"You're trying to convince me to tell you so that I can surprise him better?" Roy asked.

"Well, now that you say it like that..." Wally broke into a smile. "Yeah?"

He sighed, shaking his head. 

Actually, that gave him a great idea, and one he'd need Wally to pull off, in fact.

"Alright, I'll fill you in on all you need to know."

"Great!" 

"Shh! I don't want him to hear anything." Roy pressed his finger against Wally's lips. "Alright?"

"Alright." He whispered. "But wouldn't Dick like something smaller, less surprising? The way you look right tone is making me thing that it's big."

Roy sighed. How was he so good at reading people? It was annoying, but only because it was unpredictable.

"I'm doing something smaller, too." He explained. "But first, I want to embarrass him with an over-the-top gesture."

"Ahhh that makes sense." Wally nodded. "So, what's the plan, Stan?"

"First of all, never call me Stan again."

"Got it, Stanley." He just kept smiling. "Now what's the plan?"

"Okay, so first..."


	4. Dick

Dick couldn't sleep. He wanted to; his eyes felt sandy and his muscles were like lead, but no matter what he tried he just couldn't do it. Thoughts of Roy kept finding themselves in his head, making up scenarios, trying to map everything out... It was exhausting. And besides, that was one of the things he likes the best about Roy: he was dependable, but not predictable. Everything seemed to be a surprise, with him.

Which made it that much more difficult to plan something for him. 

Obviously it had to be a grand gesture of his affection... Or several, just to drive him crazy. Valentine's Day was a corporate holiday, after all, only invented for the profit... But still, it can be used for good. Roy didn't reject it completely.

Speaking of rejecting completely... No, he wasn't going to think like that. Roy had been his best friend for years; he wouldn't just run away and give that up now. That wasn't who he was.

But was it?

No, it wasn't. He was just overthinking, as usual. Roy loved him; not like he loved him, sure, but he loved him like a best friend. Like a brother. That was just how they were. Even if things were weird with his feelings, he wouldn't reject him. 

He wouldn't.

Dick groaned, rubbing his eyes, wishing this could just be simple. Why couldn't any of this be simple? Of course, Roy couldn't be simple either. Like he said before, he was too complicated to predict half the time. Dick loved it, but hell of it wasn't inconvenient.  
Planning, though. He had most of his planning down. He would do the big, showy thing that Garth expected, then-

Speak of the devil. Someone knocked on his door, and from the pattern? It was Fish Boy himself.

"Come in." Dick said, and in he came.

Garth grinned. "So, how's the whole Valentine's thing coming together?"

"You already know how it's coming together, Gar." He pointed out. "You're just coming in to make sure it's grand enough to satisfy you."

"No I'm not," Garth lied. "You're the one doing the dramatic gestures."

Actually... He couldn't argue with that. Garth had never actually told him to do any of this; he just assumed that it would happen. Dick sighed, rubbing his eyes again. That was how Garth worked, he guessed. He had always been like that, too, so he wasn't sure why he was so surprised by this.

"Okay, so..." He shrugged, sitting down next to Dick on the bed. "What's the plan?"

Dick's eyes narrowed. "How am I supposed to know that you aren't going to tell him?"

"You don't trust me?" Garth put a hand over his heart. "Dude."  
"Alright, alright." He shook his head. "I trust you plenty."

"I knew that." 

"Okay, well, great then." Dick sighed. "I have the basics of the plan done, everything ready, but... I'm worried that it's too simple."

"Well, what are you doing?"

"I can't tell you." He scoffed. "It wouldn't be a surprise then."

Garth ran a hand through his hair. "Damn. Roy was not as careful with his secrets."

Dick raised a hand, looking away from him. "Don't. Don't tell me what he's planning."

"Seriously, bro? That's just gnarly. I wouldn't have told you." He crossed his arms. "I'm trustworthy."

Dick snorted. "Okay... And what's with the surfer speak?"

"Every time someone asks me about it, the surfer voice gets stronger." Garth explained with a smirk. "I think it's totally tubular."

"...that's not surfer, that's eighties."

"Shh, it's all the same." He shushed, waving Dick away and running another hand through his hair. "But seriously? You're not going to tell me?"

"Nope."  
"Damn, dude. That's cold."

"Still no."

"Really?" He batted his eyelashes.

"If I told you, Wally might overhear." Dick pointed out. "Then it could be like the chocolate cake incident again."

"Yeah..." Garth sighed. "Or the time with the balloons."

"Or that one mission you tried to keep me away from?" Dick crossed his arms.

"In our defense..." He trailed off. "It was Slade, and you were injured."

"I never said you didn't have a good reason to try to keep it secret." Dick admitted. "But you still failed at doing that."

"True, true... And that is Wally's actual superpower."

"What? Overhearing people?" 

"Yup." Garth grinned. "It only works half the time, though."  
"Yeah... Do you know if he's doing anything for Valentine's Day?" Dick asked, suddenly aware them at he didn't ask. "He doesn't normally, but..."

"Nah. He said it's a corporate lie... But he'll still celebrate tomorrow. You know, when the chocolate's on sale."

"Yep. Sounds like Wally."

Garth shrugged. "He's right about the corporate lie, though."

"Yeah... But it's still fun."  
"I agree." He nodded, then leaned in close to Dick. "But it would be so much more fun if you told me what you're planning to surprise Roy with."

"No."

"Seriously?" He gasped. "Bro?"

"Absolutely still no."

"What if something you do gets in the way of something he does, or... Something." Garth nodded, pretending that he knew what he was talking about. "I would be able to tell you."

Dick frowned. "Are you talking to me to distract yourself from thinking about something else?"

He turned bright red. "No." He lied. "No clue what you're talking about."

"Ohhh." Dick smiled. "Is it those two friends you have back home in Shayeris?"

"...yeah..."

"Good luck with them, then." He nodded. "But seriously. If you want someone to talk your ear off, you've gone to the wrong person."  
"No I haven't." Garth scoffed, trying to recover from the bright red blushing. "Not if I challenge you to Mario Kart."

"Then I won't talk your ear off, I'll whoop your sorry ass." Dick pointed out. "And by the way? You're on."

Garth grinned. "Hell yes."

***

Somewhere along the line, Donna and Wally joined them, too. It wasn't very fair, since Dick knew all of the ways to cheat and use the game to his advantage, but it was fun anyway. 

That, of course, was when Roy joined them. "Oh, hey, can I... Damn it, you've already got four people."

"You can still join us." Garth offered. "You and Dick can like, count as a team or something."

Dick shrugged. "Sure."

Roy grinned, walked over to where he was sitting, and plopped himself down right in Dick's lap.

"Hey, I can't see! You're too tall."

"This also functions to give other people a chance at winning." Donna declared. "It's a win-win scenario. Consider yourself nerf."

"No, Donna," Wally whispered impossibly loud, but he didn't mean to. "It would be 'nerfed'."

She nodded. "Consider yourself nerfed."

Wally nodded, giving her a big thumbs up. "And I agree. Someone else might actually win for once."

Dick rolled his eyes. "I don't win every time."

"Yeah, Donna won once." He pointed out. "Which like, so doesn't count."

"It so does." Donna snorted.

"It counts for you, not for us." Wally corrected. "Garth and I have been competing for like, seventh. I think Roy sitting in your lap is a great idea."

Dick shrugged. "Well, I never argued against him sitting in my lap..."

Roy stiffened a little bit, then relaxed back down. "Exactly."

"So, if you could be my eyes?" He asked. "I know the sound of the courses pretty well, but there are still things to look out for."

"Of course." Roy said. "You got it."

And they sucked. Dick knew that they would, and honestly? He didn't care. Just playing casually like this gave him the opportunity to focus more on the things around him, which was nice. Garth was trying to text and drive his Kart, which was never a good idea, but from the smile on his face Dick could guess it was one of his Shayeris friends.  
Wally was never holding still, always changing positions, as if that would help him go any faster. Every once in a while he's get distracted by something else, completely ignore his Kart, then snap back to attention.   
Donna played to win, in first place now that he had been mostly taken out of the game. She leaned forward, sitting on the very edge of the couch.

And Roy was sitting in his lap. No, he was more like lounging, leaning back on him so that he couldn't see forward at all, only to the side. It was annoying, but also... He swallowed. Having Roy just sit in his lap was such a dream. He felt guilty for thinking about him like this, for making their joke like this.

In between the first and second race of the circuit, though, Roy turned around. Now he was facing Dick, legs spread on either side of him. Dick's face was in his sternum instead of against his back. His pecs were right there.  
Blushing bright red, he shook his head and readjusted his grip on the remote. He wouldn't let this distract him-

Except it totally would, and they wouldn't get a better place than eleventh the rest of the time they played. Roy blamed himself not being eyes, but Dick knew the truth: he was too busy being gay to be paying attention to the game. It was miraculous they got eleventh, even.

"Alright." Garth yawned. "It's time for me to go take a bath and go to bed. Hang loose."

Dick felt Roy cringe. Who got him talking like a surfer to start with, anyway? Who knew how long Garth was going to carry that joke.

After all, Dick thought glumly, they were very good at keeping jokes going. Like Roy sitting in his lap right now, head resting against his shoulder.

"I probably should too." Donna decided, letting out a deep breath as she stood up. "And you still have homework to do, Wally."

"What? No I don't."

He and Donna made eye contact, though, then she glanced very clearly over at Dick and Roy. Wally's eyes got very wide, and he nodded. Dick could feel his face heating up.

"Oh... Right. I have that paper due." Wally gave him an over-exaggerated wink. "I've gotta go. You two lovebirds have fun!"

"We're not-" but the two of them were gone too fast for Dick to argue.

"Mm," Roy hummed, letting out a little sigh. "You know, I didn't think that this'd be so comfortable, since you're shorter than me, but... This is nice. I like it."

"It is pretty cozy."

"Yeah..." He trailed off, then yawned. "We should probably head for bed, though."

But he didn't want to. Dick wanted to stay here, to fall asleep entangled with Roy on the couch. Sleeping alone right now sounded like torture... And one he was highly likely to endure, at that.

"I don't want to move, though." Roy murmured. "I like it here, on your neck. I could live right here for the rest of my life."

Dick blushed at that, but laughed it off on the outside. "That's a long time."

"Yeah, it had better be..." He yawned. "What time is it?"

"Uhh... Two twenty four."

"Oh shit, that explains how tired I am." Roy chuckled. "Even though we're pretty used to late nights."

"That doesn't mean we don't still need rest."

"You're so fucking right, babe." He yawned again. "I should really go to bed, though."

Neither of them moved. Part of Dick really did say to go, to sleep, but as he thought about how Roy was leaning on him, as if he was at home... He took a deep breath. Maybe he really was just tired, but most likely? He was just trying to run away from his feelings, trying not to get hurt.

He sighed, leaning his head gently against Roy's head. "I don't really want to go, though."

"Yeah..." Roy nuzzled into his neck. "Do you just want to sleep on the couch?"

He wanted nothing else, but could he just say yes? Taking a deep breath, he considered his options.  
1\. Stay here, sleep with Roy on the couch, and wake up to Wally and Garth taking pictures of them in the morning.

2\. Say no, go to bed, and be lonely.

3\. Invite Roy to go back to bed with him, and risk him saying no, or laughing, or entering that fake romance that Dick had such a love-hate relationship with.

"I'm falling asleep here, though." Roy muttered, snapping Dick out of his thoughts. "I know I'm not going any further than the couch, but... I wouldn't mind if you joined me."

Dick sucked in a deep breath. "Nah, I'll... Goodnight, babe. I'll see you in the morning."

He smiled, slumping off of his lap and curling up on the couch. Dick laughed at how curled up he was, how little he looked like that. Grabbing the blanket, he threw it over him, tucking it gently around his shoulders.  
Holding his breath, Dick leaned down, and kissed him gently on the forehead.

Roy smiled. "Night, Dickie."

His heart fluttered. "Goodnight, Roy."  
And he stalked away, brow furrowed, shoulders slumped. Sure, he felt like he had done the best thing, but it was also the safest thing. There was no risk in just leaving him to sleep there, and no satisfaction either. He wanted to cuddle up to Roy, to feel the roughness of his unshaven face in the morning, and laugh about how he didn't grow facial hair nearly that fast. He wanted to hold him in his arms, to press his head against his chest and listen to his steady, pounding heartbeat. That was all he wanted.  
But instead, he was walking away.

Only two more days now, though. Tomorrow was the thirteenth, and then it would be Valentine's Day. His whole plan would fall together and maybe, just maybe, things would turn out how he hoped. With him and Roy down on the beach, holding hands... Hand holding was such a cliche, but he loved it. The feeling of Roy's rough, calloused fingers against his own was like nothing else, making his breath catch and his head spin.

Every time Roy touched him was like that. He never got used to it, not in all of these years of being friends. He thought it would wear down, after a few years, but the feeling never went away. The crush never faded, no matter how many haircuts he got, or how many beat up nights left his face looking like a swollen mess. This wasn't about looks, it was about...

Well, it was about Roy.

About the quiet way he laughs at every little thing, just barely chuckling.

About how spontaneous he is, deciding to go do something and making up the plan along the way.

About how he takes so much time in the morning to do his hair, even though it's one of the simplest things in the world.  
About how funny he is. How he hates pineapple on pizza. How he smiles and it's like the sun. How good he is with kids. Everything all coming together in this one place that is him falling hard and fast for Roy. It wasn't fair at all, but that's how it had worked.

Dick took a deep breath, and paused at the door. Glancing over his shoulder, he looked over at the living room. The couch hid Roy mostly, just the very top of his head visible, red hair dull and coppery looking in the dim light.  
Shaking his head, he finally just went into his room. He would do this. He would tell him... Soon.

Soon.


	5. Roy

It was finally the morning, and Roy couldn't get his hair right. Everything had to be just perfect today, and he-

Deep breaths. Don't get too upset about it; everything is going to be fine.

In truth, though, Roy barely slept last night, tossing and turning as he thought about all the ways this could go wrong. Of course, there were a lot of ways this could go right, too, but with Wally helping him? That was an added bit of chaos that could easily flip things around. He loved that guy, but he tended to be a little bit of a hazard when it came to 'be covert.'

Roy's phone chimed, and immediately it was in his hands. His first thought was that it was from Dick, but it was Wally.

(Wally): left the box on his doorstep

(Wally): thats what I was supposed 2 do rite???

(Roy): Yeah you rang the doorbell right?

(Wally): yup

(Roy): Great

(Roy): I owe you don't I

(Wally): now that u say it yea

Roy tossed his phone back onto his bed and wished that he had just stayed silent, but... Owing Wally definitely wasn't the worst thing, and if this turned out right? It would be well worth it.   
He had thought a long time about what Dick would want, and ultimately he came to the conclusion that he wouldn't want something boring. So what better than a scavenger hunt... Right? He had it a set up: the first box would have a small stuffed bear in it. Tucked in between its body and the little heart it was holding, he tucked a little note.

"Where we first met. -S."

Dick would know where that was instantly; on top of the Gotham Regional Hospital. It was pouring down rain when they met, both sopping wet sidekicks in bright colors who didn't quite know how to interact with someone else like themselves. It didn't take long, though, before they were making faces at each other from behind their respective mentors. That was how it all began: making ugly faces at each other.  
The timing was crucial, but Roy knew about how fast Dick could move. It was important that Wally got the package up there close enough to when Dick would arrive that no one else got curious... Gotham was a freaky city. Inside was a small box of chocolates, with a note inside the lid.

"You need to wash the scaly greens more often, don't you? -S."

That's what he told him when they met down on the Gotham Pier, once, by Dock A, the furthest north. He was always teasing Dick about how he didn't wear real pants and things like that... It wasn't clever, but he laughed anyway. That was when he dunked him in the pier, too.

Wally would need to be very careful with this one, basically running as soon as he sees Dick. The pier was large enough that he might search for a bit, so the timing was harder, and it was a worse place to leave something.   
But inside that box was a slightly larger stuffed bear, and a note that only had one word written on it.

"Movie? -S."

They always went to the same theater, so he'd have to head all the way over there. One of the employees, a friend of theirs, was on the lookout for him. When he saw him he would give him another box, with, well, the idea continues. Each box gets better and better, with locations that could be dates, or places they had been before. One just said "I prefer waffles," even.

Roy loved the idea, but mostly because he knew Dick would have fun with it. Leaving stuff around forced him to live with his anticipation as he went from place to place... It was good. At least, he thought it was good. Finally, in the end, it would tell him to come home.

And that's where Roy would be waiting for him... Hopefully his hair would look better by then, too.

Once he was adequately well dressed and his hair looked decent, Roy left his room. Right now it was time for...

...breakfast.

The entirety of their HQ looked like it had been decorated for a high school Valentine's Day dance. Lace-rimmed hearts and chubby cut-out cupids were plastered to the walls. Certain sections had been entirely gift-wrapped in different pinks and reds. That whole situation would have been funny enough on its own, but of course, this was Dick he was dealing with.

The moment he had opened his door triggered some kind of speaker, which started absolutely blasting a cheesy old love song. 

Roy sighed, shaking his head. He admitted, once, that he liked some love songs sometimes, and he had been teasing him with this stuff ever since. This was...

Better than anything he had imagined. There was glitter everywhere, and that would be awful to clean, but for now? He was just going to enjoy what lengths Dick went to just for this shitty little holiday.

Wait. What was that behind him?

As Roy shut his door, the surface caught his attention, almost making him fall over laughing. The outside of his door made the rest of HQ look boring. It was positively coated in glitter and decorations, with one large lacy heart in the center.

"Roses are red,  
You pretentious clementine,  
Will you, Roy Harper, be my Valentine?"

Clementine. Of course, he should have seen that one coming from miles away. They used to make that joke all the time, after they binge-watched The Runway Project when he was out for five days with the flu.

He laughed for a good long while, until Donna came out of her room. "Why are you wheezing out- what happened to HQ? And who the hell is playing The Beatles out here?"

"Dick."

"...I'm guessing that's the answer to all of those questions, isn't it?"

"You bet it is." He sighed, shaking his head. "Damn, I'm done for."

"You're so in love with him, you know that?" She grinned. "I'm embarrassed for you."

"Yeah, well I'm happy."

"I'm sure you are." She yawned, stretching her arms over her head. "Now let's try to find a way to turn this shit off."

***

Surprise surprise, they didn't find a way to turn the music off. They did, however, find the extent of Dick's love for Roy.

Well... the extent of the awful Valentine's decorations. 

There were bows on top of all of the toilet seats. He put glitter on top of the ceiling fans, so that it spilled when they were turned on. That would be horrible to clean up. The fridge was stocked - and he didn't say stocked lightly - with all manner of heart-shaped things, along with a little note telling Roy not to eat lunch until later. It was entirely ridiculous... And it made Roy wonder if Wally helped Dick, too, because this was insane.

Speaking of Wally. How did he always do that?

"Ayy! I'm back." He rushed into the room and skidded to a stop. "I got Dick to the last one you told me to do and- what happened?"

"Dick." Donna and Roy said in unison. 

"Ahhh makes sense." He nodded. "Well, my job here is done, is there food?"

Donna snorted. "There's always food."

Roy wasn't sure if he stuck around long enough to hear that, though. He was rushing off to the kitchen faster than the blink of an eye.  
But he got Dick through the- 

"Oh, shit." Roy took a deep breath. "Do I look okay?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Dick should be here in about... Fifteen minutes?"

"You look fine, Roy." Donna sighed, messing with his hair a little bit. "He's seen you a lot worse."

"That's not reassuring."

"Well, you are covered in glitter, but that's his fault, so you can hardly be blamed." She shrugged. "You look good, though."

"Okay. Alright." Roy tried in vain to brush off some of the glitter. "You know, I didn't think this out very well."

"How?"

"I didn't even think about the waiting."

"Ahh." Donna snickered. "How are you feeling?"

"Terrified." He admitted. "A little nauseous. Slightly dizzy. Like I'm going to have a heart attack."

"Damn. Saving the world? Roy's your man. Asking out his crush? Nope, he's about to have a heart attack."

He elbowed her. "Says you, who melts any time a cute girl's around."

"Alright. That's fair." Donna brushed off her shoulder, also not getting a single bit of glitter. "It'll be fine, though. What's the worst that could happen?"

"He hates me for making things weird between us and never wants to talk to me again?" Roy offered.

"Okay. Lighten up, okay? It'll be good."

"Sure it will."

She elbowed him back.

***

Sure enough, Dick got there in thirteen minutes. He had already stashed the things from the scavenger hunt, or he had dropped them off at the Manor, which was more likely. 

If possible, Roy's heart beat even faster.

"Does the fact that you're here mean that I finally won?" He asked, his mouth curved into a crooked grin. 

"Mm..." Roy made a big show of thinking about it. "No."

"Really now? Then what do I have to do?"

He shrugged. "Go down to the beach."

"The beach, huh? What a coincidence." Dick winked. "You haven't eaten lunch yet, have you?"

"...no, as a matter of fact." Roy raised his eyebrow. "There was a mysterious note in the fridge telling me not to."

"Than maybe you'd want to make it a picnic?"

"You didn't."

He just smiled wider. "I've got some of Alfred's potato soup all ready."

"Damn, you're the best, babe."

***

"Well?" Dick looked up from his soup, glancing over at Roy. "What did you send me down here for?"

Roy took a deep breath.

Now or never.

"Remember that one time we played Truth or Dare with everyone, back at HQ?"

He gave Roy a weird look. "Yeah?"

"When I wouldn't tell you guys who I was into?"

"Mm hm. We had to skip your turn because you wouldn't answer." Dick remembered, elbowing him lightly. 

"Yeah... Or all of the Valentine's Day's when I've gone off on rants about how it's all just consumerism?"

"Ohh, yeah. How could I forget?" He chuckled. "Is that what this is?"

"Not exactly, no." Roy swallowed. "And all of those times I've said that your costume is obscene?"

"You still say that." Dick pointed out. "What's your point though? Did you see more Robin lingerie being advertised somewhere?"

"I think I... No, that's not... Why is this so hard?" He ran a hand through his hair, staring out at the ocean. "The point is... Movies? This weekend?"

Dick smiled. "Sure. I-"

"As a real date." Roy interrupted. "I don't- I don't want to do all of this fake stuff anymore. I just... I really like you, and I have for a really long time, and I don't think it's going away anytime soon. This whole fake relationship has got to stop, either way."

Three waves broke against the shore before either of them said a word.

"I... I don't know what to say."

"I'm sorry if I made stuff weird." He looked out, back at the ocean, feeling his face get redder and redder. "We can just go back to friends, if that's what you want."

"Roy?"

"What?"

Dick was smiling from ear to ear. "Open the dessert."

He gave him a weird look, then reached for the little cookie tin. Carefully, he pulled off the lid, and-

"Oh, shut up." Roy covered his mouth. "Donna told you, and you're teasing me."

Dick shook his head. "I'm not teasing you."

In the tin was one big, heart-shaped cookie, frosted white with red letters.

"Will you go out with me? -R."

"We even both signed our names like we used to." Roy pointed out, then it all hit him. "You mean, you actually like, feel the same way?"

"Yeah." Dick smiled, staring down at his lap. "I didn't have a speech planned, but... I've liked you since we were kids. I think since I spent the night at your place the first time."

"That long ago?" He whistled. "Damn. What did you even like about me?"

"I mean... You treated me like I was just like anyone else. You've never treated me carefully, or walked on eggshells around me."

"...true." Roy sighed, glancing back at Dick. "I still can't believe this."

"And you think I can?"

"Come to think of it..." He smirked. "No. With how you overthink everything-"

"Shut up."

"No, seriously." Roy ruffled Dick's hair. "I can't believe neither of us figured this out."

"I thought you were just pretending!"

"So did I!"

"Well, for the record, I wasn't." Dick smiled, looking up at Roy.

"And I don't know if you guessed it, but neither was I."

"Well then... Boyfriends?"

Roy smiled. "Boyfriends."

Neither of them said a word. They both leaned in, hearts pounding, letting their eyes fall shut, and-

Garth got a great picture of the two of them kissing from his place in the water.


End file.
